One thing that impressed me with the movie was how natural all the actors sounded during most of its run, almost as if the trials and tribulations of the principals were actually happening and being committed to film. So, kudos to Cord Jefferson for achieving that in his directorial debut. Except for Leslie Uggams in the cast, I haven't seen any of the other principals, and all did a fine job. Uggams by the way, looked fantastic in the story approaching the age of eighty in real life. I want to know what magic elixir she's drinking. The story gets more and more absurd when college professor Thelonius 'Monk' Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) becomes increasingly frustrated with the lack of appreciation for his works of literature while being relegated to the African-American section of his local library. While marveling at the attention received by writer Sintara Golden (Issa Rae) for penning a novel about life in the hood, Monk decides to put his disdain of popular culture to the test by writing a novel in the same vein as a lark. When it becomes a hit and optioned for a movie treatment, he calls into question the entire insanity of modern culture for what he considers junk. Fortunately, when it came to the circumstances of his life and the precarious situation of his mother (Uggams) and her encroaching Alzheimer's, Monk decided not to pull the plug on his good fortune, but follow it through, even when complicated by his having been chosen to judge new releases for a literary award, one of which turned out to be his. I wasn't quite satisfied with the mock ending of the proposed movie about Monk's experience, the one in which he's mistakenly shot at the awards ceremony. I would have preferred one in which the audience was forced to deal with the revelation that Monk used the name of Stagg R. Leigh to write 'My Pafology', which he later renamed "F...". Personally, I think 'F... It' had a better ring to it.
For those without historical perspective, the real Stagger Lee was Lee Shelton, an African-American pimp living in St. Louis, Missouri, in the late 19th century. He was nicknamed Stag Lee or Stack Lee, with a variety of explanations being given for his nickname. I'll let the reader investigate further if interested. 'Stagger Lee' became a popular song released by Lloyd Price in 1958, rising to the top of the R&B and pop charts in 1959. It was inspired by an actual murder that took place late on the evening of December 25, 1895, in a St. Louis bar.
For those without historical perspective, the real Stagger Lee was Lee Shelton, an African-American pimp living in St. Louis, Missouri, in the late 19th century. He was nicknamed Stag Lee or Stack Lee, with a variety of explanations being given for his nickname. I'll let the reader investigate further if interested. 'Stagger Lee' became a popular song released by Lloyd Price in 1958, rising to the top of the R&B and pop charts in 1959. It was inspired by an actual murder that took place late on the evening of December 25, 1895, in a St. Louis bar.